Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to upgrade its ageing slaughterhouse at Kondhwa with financial support from the World Bank. The project, aimed at improving hygiene, environmental compliance, and processing capacity, has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 9.77 crore, according to Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram.
The slaughterhouse, which processes both large and small animals, has been in operation for many years but no longer meets modern standards. To carry out the redevelopment, PMC has appointed Mitcon Consultancy and Engineering Services Ltd as the project consultant.
The reconstruction will follow the norms of the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in line with World Bank guidelines. Ram said the Bank has also agreed in principle to support additional expenditure if required, as the proposal has already been approved under the state government’s SMART project (Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation initiative).
According to Mitcon, the estimated project cost is Rs 8.70 crore, excluding 18 per cent GST. The proposal also includes Rs 21 lakh for the demolition of the existing structure, which accounts for around 2.5 per cent of the total project cost.
PMC Veterinary Officer Sarika Punde said the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had earlier issued notices to the civic body over pollution caused by untreated effluents from the old slaughterhouse. Although the performance of the Effluent Treatment Plant has been improved, she said the building itself is outdated and cannot cope with increasing demand.
Once rebuilt, the new facility will be able to handle up to 200 animals per day, double the current capacity of 100. If developed as per APEDA standards, the slaughterhouse will also have meat processing and packaging facilities suitable for export-quality products.
Punde added that better hygiene and modern infrastructure will encourage more vendors to use the facility. Several nearby local bodies have already requested permission to send their licensed vendors to the Kondhwa slaughterhouse, but this has been denied so far due to its present limitations.
